Thursday, February 4, 2010

Wednesday afternoon, 4:15. The sitter is walking in with Z2 from the bus stop. Wait a minute- where's Z1? He's not with you? Didn't he get off the bus? No? Are you sure you didn't see him? Oh no! Where is my Z1?

Complete panic attack ensues. I immediately call the school. The School Secretary Extraordinaire answers. "Now just calm down, it will be okay. I haven't lost a kid in over 20 years."

Breathing. . . .

Not really.

In those few moments my world was completely turned inside out and I couldn't think straight. All I could think is,"Where is my baby?!?!?!?"

I started calling my friends who I thought maybe he went home with their son. No one had seen him.

It seemed like forever, but it only took about twenty VERY LONG MINUTES to find him. He has gotten on a mislabeled bus that his regular driver was driving for another route. Thankfully she knew exactly who he was, where he lived and radioed in immediately and brought him straight home. Of course, during those 20 VERY LLONG MINUTES the only thing I could think about was Shawn Hornbeck and Ben Owenby- two area children who had been abducted (and thankfully, exceptionally, they were found).

Nothing like separating a mother and child to get the blood moving to every part of your body and clear out the arteries. After it was all over, I was glad I had filled out those pages on Child ID. Because it would have taken me precious, precious minutes to regain my thought process and think about all of those details about my baby.

Go write it down now. Today. And hug your kids for all they're worth, because they are worth so much more than we realize some days.